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Conversations
On this page we will conduct conversations on themes relevant to the work and ideas of the IAED and its network.
The Democratic Foundation of Adult Education
A short intervention from the 100th anniversary conference of the Finnish Folk High School Association
by Edicio dela Torre
Education for Life Foundation
Philippines
Warmest greetings to the Finnish Folk High School Association in its 100 years anniversary! The Education for Life Foundation and the network of grassroots educators in the Philippines draw inspiration from you, just as we have drawn inspiration from Grundtvig and the folkehojskole in Denmark. Since we are a relatively young movement, we tell ourselves: “We can learn many lessons from a tradition of popular education that has managed to live for 100 years or more.”
Although I have been involved in popular education for 40 years inside and outside the Philippines, I got acquainted with Grundtvig and the folkehojskole only in 1987, during a visit to Denmark. You may ask, why did his core idea of “education for life” resonate deep within me?
I had just been released the year before from prison, and the Philippine context that shaped my education work had changed. It used to be repression versus resistance, dictatorship versus democracy. But democracy was restored in 1986. How should we describe the new context? Mary’s song in the bible seemed to capture it: “He has put down the mighty from his throne and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and has sent the rich away empty.”
Well, the second part did not happen. Some of our rich were sent away, but not empty, and the hungry were not yet fed. But one half of the first part did happen. The mighty was put down, the dictators was deposed. Elite dictatorship was replaced by elite democracy. But will the lowly be lifted up? Will ordinary citizens, especially the grassroots majority, be able to participate effectively ( and not just in token form ), using the democratic space that had opened up?
For that to happen, the grassroots need self-organization and popular education. But most Filipinos did not finish basic education. Of every 100 children who enroll in Grade 1, less than half, only 48 finish the 10 years of formal basic education. And what about higher education for the leaders of the 40,000 villages, most of them rural, so that they can lead their communities to exercise their rights and responsibilities as active citizens?
Together with other former political prisoners, I dreamt of a different kind of school for grassroots leaders, where they will develop their self-confidence and the skills of communications, negotiations, conflict resolution, indigenous psychology and human relations.
So you can imagine my excitement as I learned about the folk high schools and their role in the development of a democratic nation in Denmark and in the Nordic countries. It was like looking at a special mirror that made me see our dreams for the Philippines in the experiences of another country. Of course we know that the history and circumstances in countries of the South are different, but I believe that we can benefit from the lessons you have learned. In fact, when I visited Finland for the first time in 2003, I was struck by the historical role of the folk high schools not just in the struggle for democracy, but in the struggle to develop and defend Finnish national consciousness and identity.
That is why together with congratulations and appreciation, I also offer a challenge to the Finnish High School Association. Please reflect on your 100 years experience and agree on what lessons you want us to consider for our countries. Don’t worry, we will not take your lessons uncritically. We believe in the principle of “learning from others, but thinking for ourselves.”
Our experience in the Philippines of applying lessons from Grundtvig and the folk high schools is less than two decades, but I am convinced that they are very relevant to our continuing efforts to insure that ordinary people, the grassroots majority, actively participate in deciding on our shared future as a nation and as a democracy.
The feedback we get from the grassroots leaders is that their minds seem to open up so that they cannot stop thinking, and they develop the attitude and skills of thinking beyond the existing limits.
Think beyond existing limits – this is a challenge we face whether in the Philippines or in Finland. As nations and democracies, we need to address the challenge of globalization, which represents a mix of opportunities and threats, depending on our sense of our strengths and weaknesses. Those who feel strong tend to see mainly the opportunities. Those who feel weak, tend to see mainly the threats. Truly, “we often see the world, not as it is, but as we are.”
We need to find ways of incorporating the global dimension into our popular education work, which tends to be mainly “national-popular” or “national-local.” We may need to think in terms of a “multilayered democracy” with local, national, regional and global layers. The democratic deficit in one layer affects the others, just as the democratic achievement in one may be helpful to the others.
Global migration heightens the issue of diversity and identity, both in the sending countries and in the receiving countries. There are new possibilities offered by information and communication technology which can empower but also add to the existing inequalities. And in the face of efforts to make terrorism and anti-terrorism as the defining global thematic framework, we need to assert the importance of liberal adult education in promoting the ability and commitment to “live together in diversity.”
I look forward to taking part in a global dialogue among those of us who believe that our work is more important than ever before, but also that we need to adapt our methods and vision to the new global context and challenges. I have this idea of a “Grundtvigian moment” when his ideas and methods are most applicable.. It is not in the moment of repression and resistance. It is when there are some reforms initiated from above, which opens space for participation from below, that can push reforms beyond the narrow limits envisioned by the elite reformers. I ask if there is such a Grundtvigian moment in relation to globalization, even if many believe it is mainly a time of resistance.
I hope that the Finnish Folk High School Association and the Nordic Folk High School Council will facilitate this global dialogue.
Helsinki
September 19, 2005
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